Global logistics group WiseTech Global has acquired IFS Global Holdings (SmartFreight) – a parcel and LTL shipping software provider.
Headquartered in Sydney, SmartFreight offers multi-carrier shipping software solutions to over 3,300 customers across Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Ireland, South Africa and Asia.
The company addresses traditional bricks and mortar, B2C and B2B customers across all industries including organisations such as 3M, Mazda, Hyundai, Seiko, Epson and Pandora Jewellery, as well as transport and logistics providers such as DHL, Australia Post Group, Parcelforce, TNT, Toll Group, Aramax and Royal Mail.
In Australia alone, SmartFreight processes over 50 million parcels annually.
WiseTech Global founder and chief executive officer, Richard White said: “As e-commerce continues its rapid exponential growth, the importance of omni-channel parcel and LTL shipping for customers, and the logistics industry globally, will increase by an order of magnitude.
“We value the parcel logistics and technical expertise within the SmartFreight teams and their extensive coverage of parcel and LTL carriers and rates, with electronic connections to over 650 carriers, in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the UK and South Africa.”
This transaction follows WiseTech’s other recent logistics solutions acquisitions in Argentina, Australasia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, North America, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey and Uruguay, and is in line with WiseTech Global’s strategy of accelerating long-term organic growth through targeted, valuable acquisitions.
WiseTech has also acquired UK logistics management software provider DataFreight – a provider of customs, freight forwarding and warehouse management software solutions in the UK.
Headquartered in Southampton, DataFreight provides integrated logistics solutions, including HMRC customs software, specialist consultancy for UK customs compliance and freight forwarding solutions for all modes of transport, along with warehousing capabilities for managing bonded and un-bonded warehouses in the UK.
Their scalable solutions are used by large and small organisations including customers such as TNT International, Allport Cargo Services, Charles Kendall Freight, COSCO Shipping, DACHSER, Maersk Lines, and many other logistics providers and organisations.
White said: “Regardless of whether the outcome is a hard or soft border for Brexit, WiseTech is uniquely placed to facilitate trade and deliver cross-border compliance for logistics providers in the UK and Europe. With DataFreight, we will continue to expand our lead in cross-border capability geographically, further strengthening our local market capacity to move swiftly ahead of UK and EU regulatory evolution.
“Along with DataFreight’s long-term UK cross-border compliance and logistics expertise, and existing involvement on HMRC move from CHIEF to the new CDS platform, we see their UK customs capability as valuable while the outcomes of Brexit are determined. In any event, with our powerful global development capacity, we are well positioned to address the changes to come.
“The DataFreight team will fit well within the WiseTech group and, over time, enhance the benefits for UK logistics providers of our comprehensive EU coverage with our leading customs-compliance solutions in Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Turkey and Spain and our extensive capabilities with the UK’s other major trading partner countries, China and the US.”
